About

Heavy Gear: Dreadnoughts is an exciting new tabletop miniatures wargame simulating fleet-level battles in the far future. Control armadas of landships, massive hovering fortresses bristling with weapons & troops. To achieve victory, you must wisely manage your army to not only deliver punishing bombardments, but also to launch air missions, command ground forces, and provide repair and recovery resources to damaged units.

The Kickstarter is to fund steel injection molds for plastic miniatures needed for Fusion Core Studios' tabletop wargame. These high-quality plastic miniatures will be used to produce a 2-player boxed set of 8 landships, with 4 different models.

That's just our initial goal, though. As we hit our stretch goals, we'll be able to add more value to the Core Starter Set, with a final goal (at Stretch Goal 23) of a boxed set containing 20 ships (of 8 different classes) with multiple variant options and bonus parts, over 100 troop miniatures, color rulebook, and heavy cardstock tokens, cards, and templates.

At the final Stretch Goal, the Kickstarter will have added an extra 12 landships to the Core Set, for a total of 20 ships. That's over $200 of miniatures value for the $80 Backer Pledge. Every bit of support increases the return on investment for everyone.

Notes:

Early support has benefits: the first 375 Fleet Commander pledges will get their rewards shipped out first.

There are also Northern and Southern Commander pledge levels, for Backers who only want miniatures from one faction.

The Retailer Bundle pledge level allows Retailers to help fund the project while getting a discount and early stock.

1x Northern Commander: All the Northern landships from the Dreadnoughts Core Starter Set (with any unlocked Northern stretch goals) $50.

1x Southern Commander: All the Southern landships from the Dreadnoughts Core Starter Set (with any unlocked Southern stretch goals) $50.

Maya 3D models of the first four landship classes.

3D Landship Models in Scale on 1cm grid with lenghts.

Photos of 3D printed test miniatures

Heavy Gear History Timeline.

Shipping Costs for Reward Packages

Risks and challenges

Non-Completion of Project: We're a new company, but our staff and collaborators have over a decade of experience with both game development projects and entrepreneurial endeavors. Our primary consultants for mold production are the folks at Dream Pod 9, who have imparted to us all the lessons learned from their recent Heavy Gear Blitz Kickstarter. Other close consultants include molding engineers at Acel Precision Plastics in Singapore (a company with decades of experience in international plastics production and shipping) and the molding engineers at Models, LLC (an Indiana-based molding company currently producing the Heavy Gear Blitz Kickstarter miniatures). We have been thoroughly briefed and prepared for all of the problems and pitfalls these advisors have seen over the years, on both sides of the Pacific.

Our project is also backed with the full confidence of our licensor, Dream Pod 9. The Heavy Gear IP is extremely valuable to both companies, and we are working closely to ensure this project meets and exceeds expectations for Dream Pod 9's flagship franchise.

That said, there are always risks. The usual Act of God risks exist: natural disaster, sudden health concerns, ships sinking, and so on. We're insured against capital losses, and we have enough backup staff to absorb any but the most catastrophic of unplanned absences. This means that if something does happen to the molds, final products, or our administrative staff, the expected worst outcome for our investors is a delay in production and/or shipping as we await replacements and/or adjust staffing.

Shipping Delays: There is also the possibility that the products are delayed at customs or elsewhere in transit. This has happened to other toy and game product releases in the past, resulting in delays of weeks or even months.

We will communicate regularly and openly about any delays so that you, our backers, are fully aware of any reasons for delays. Our commitment is to get you a great product and if delays happen in order to deliver on that promise then the expected delivery date will be re-evaluated.

QC Errors: This one's always hard to predict, even for the big toy companies. There's a lot that can go wrong with a mold, even if the test pops pass muster, and sometimes even if several runs are perfect. When shipping a mold to the US, settings can change, long-term consistency can fluctuate, and the mold itself can get damaged in transit. If production is located in China, QC can sometimes be spotty. We have native Mandarin and Cantonese speakers on staff, and strong business connections in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We also have planned for final QC steps to be performed here in the US before final shipping to backers. Even so, it's still possible that a batch of miscast items gets shipped to us, or worse, to our backers.

A significant QC oversight can result in a delay, as new parts are produced and boxes are repacked. If that happens, we will maintain open communications to ensure that backers stay updated on new delivery dates. QC errors can also result in defective final product being shipped to backers. In the case of significant quality defects, we will endeavor to provide replacement pieces to backers and customers as soon as possible.

Scope Reduction: Finally, there is a chance that we cannot provide a model that has been included in the Kickstarter due to unforeseen problems with the molding process. For example, we might find that a given ship hull won't clear the moldflow analysis unless it's split into multiple parts, reducing the available space on the sprue and forcing us to delete a previously planned part. However, this is highly unlikely, since the landships are relatively simple pieces (compared to humanoid figures or machine parts) whose main complexity is in the numerous undercuts and small pieces (like turrets), which we've already accounted for in our current parts counts. Some further adjustments to model designs and parts breakdown will certainly be necessary, but not to the extent that a model would have to be deleted. Our team has learned a number of relevant lessons about mold design for small parts over the years, and we are fully applying that knowledge and experience toward a successful project.

If, despite our every effort, we do need to reduce the number of models, we will provide backers with the opportunity to use some credit to choose additional rewards from the other models produced.

We believe we have taken every responsible step necessary to maximize the likelihood of success. Our team is solid, our product is compelling, and from what we've seen, our audience is flush with anticipation. Our company's fledgling reputation is on the line, as is that of our licensor, and we will strive with every ounce of our skill and resolve to overcome any and every challenge this project throws at us.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $1 or more
About $1.00

Ensign

THANK YOU! This reward level will allow you to show your support, see all the updates, and pick Add-on Rewards.

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Northern Commander

This reward level gets you all the Northern plastic miniatures included in the Core Starter Set and any Northern stretch goal unlock add-ons. Plus, any chosen Add-on Rewards to boost your pledge and get more stuff!

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Southern Commander

This reward level gets you all the Southern plastic miniatures included in the Core Starter Set and any Southern stretch goal unlock add-ons. Plus, any chosen Add-on Rewards to boost your pledge and get more stuff!

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

Fleet Commander

This reward level gets you 1 complete Dreadnoughts Core Starter Set and any stretch goal unlocked add-ons. Plus, any chosen Add-on Rewards to boost your pledge and get more stuff! Your rewards will ship out first, so you'll get your stuff before anyone else!

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

Fleet Commander Wave 2

This reward level gets you 1 complete Dreadnoughts Core Starter Set and any stretch goal unlock add-ons. Plus, any chosen Add-on Rewards to boost your pledge and get more stuff! Your rewards will ship out in the second wave of shipping.

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $225 or more
About $225

High Command Fleet Set

This reward level gets you 3 complete Dreadnoughts Core Starter Sets (with a $15 savings) and any stretch goal unlock add-ons. Plus, any chosen Add-on Rewards to boost your pledge and get more stuff! Your rewards will ship out in the first wave of shipping, at the same time as the Wave 1 Fleet Commander packages.

Shipping will be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. Shipping is estimated at $15 for U.S. addresses; see the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.

FREE shipping for retailers in the USA. International retailers will be charged exact shipping, to be charged separately (via Backerkit) after the Kickstarter has closed. See the FAQ for info on estimating international shipping charges.